Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For four athletes, Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 13 event marked that special moment in their respective careers.
Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
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Modestas Bukauskas
Division: Light heavyweight
Result: Modestas Bukauskas def. Andreas Michailidis via TKO (retirement) – Round 1
Record: (11-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: B+
Former Cage Warriors light heavyweight champion Modestas Bukauskas claimed a first-round TKO finish on his octagon debut with a finish that was a near carbon copy of the one that earned him his shot on the big stage.
Back at Cage Warriors 111 in November 2019 Bukauskas finished Riccardo Nosiglia with a barrage of powerful elbows against the cage to retain his light heavyweight title. That win saw him earn a call-up to the UFC, and Bukauskas turned to his elbows once again to score a very similar finish at the end of Round 1.
Bukauskas looked loose and relaxed from the start of his matchup against Andrea Michailidis, but took a little time to calibrate his punching range, with some of his early combinations falling short. But as the round progressed he started to make adjustments and step into his combinations. When he did, he showed a noticeable speed advantage.
That’s not to say he didn’t have to deal with some adversity, too. The London-based Lithuanian got clipped a few times by some solid Michailidis shots, but looked untroubled by them as he closed the distance and put the pressure on the Greek debutant before finishing him with the same elbows he produced in Cage Warriors last year.
All in all, it was a solid, impressive start to life in the UFC, and it will be interesting to watch his continued development in the octagon over the coming months.
Next up: Move to 205 doesn’t pay off for “The Spartan”
Andreas Michailidis
Division: Light heavyweight
Result: Modestas Bukauskas def. Andreas Michailidis via TKO (retirement) – Round 1
Record: (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: D
Greek debutant Andreas Michailidis jumped up a weight class and faced a fellow newcomer at UFC on ESPN 13 and ended up on the losing end of the clash after shipping some punishing elbows at the end of the first round.
Michailidis started slower than opponent Modestas Bukauskas and, although he had some success with his strikes, he looked slower and more ponderous than the Lithuanian whenever the pair exchanged strikes.
It was clear that the Greek was loading up on his shots, and he found his mark with a few solid punches, though he wasn’t able to make a major breakthrough against the former Cage Warriors champion.
Eventually, he found himself shoved up against the fence taking a barrage of elbows to just behind the ear as the buzzer sounded to end the round.
He didn’t respond decisively to referee Dan Movahedi’s instructions, then fell backward through the open octagon door, presumably as he looked to use the cage fence to help himself get back to his feet.
But the fact that he didn’t bounce straight back up, and then required medics to sit him down on the canvas before eventually helping him up to the stool, showed that the stoppage was a warranted one.
It was a disappointing way for “The Spartan” to kick off his UFC career, and perhaps the Greek will pursue his next UFC opportunity in his regular weight class of 185 pounds.
Next up: A welterweight pitches a shutout – at middleweight
Khamzat Chimaev
Division: Middleweight
Result: Khamzat Chimaev def. John Phillips via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 1:12
Record: (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: A
Chechen-Swedish prospect Khamzat Chimaev arrived in the UFC and got people very excited for his potential on the big stage as he submitted knockout artist John Phillips in a one-sided debut.
Chimaev wasted no time in taking the Welshman off his feet as he opened up with a thumping body kick, followed by a powerful takedown. With the ever-animated former UFC lightweight Reza Madadi bellowing instructions from his corner, Chimaev delivered a one-sided battering to Phillips as he completely dominated Phillips for the duration of the round to earn two 10-8 scores and one 10-7 to put him firmly in the comfort zone.
Chimaev started Round 2 much as he did in the first as he took Phillips to the mat and took control once again. This time he went all-out for the submission and, after locking up a D’Arce choke, he got the finish his performance richly deserved.
It was a virtual shutout performance from Chimaev, who used his grappling skills to overwhelm a noted striker. But perhaps the most impressive aspect of his performance was the fact that he did it fighting a weight class above his optimal weight of 170 pounds.
We’ll learn more about Chimaev’s true potential when he faces more well-rounded opposition but, if first impressions are anything to go by, Chimaev could well become a serious problem if he returns to welterweight. Plenty of tough tests await him at 170 pounds, and I can’t wait to see how far he can go.
Next up: “The Sniper” passes acid test to claim debut win
Mounir Lazzez
Division: Light heavyweight
Result: Mounir Lazzez def. Abdul Razak Alhassan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Record: (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: A-
Matched up against a strong judoka with devastating punch power, Mounir Lazzez faced a serious acid test of his credentials – and his chin – on his UFC debut, and passed with flying colors.
The UFC newcomer ran the gauntlet in the first minute as the heavy-handed Abdul Razak Alhassan unloaded a vicious salvo of punches on the debutant. They were the sort of strikes that would have finished many a debutant, but Razzez took the shots, covered up and grinned before returning fire with shots of his own.
Lazzez picked his shots well as he mixed up his strikes, utilizing a nice lead elbow and left jab, while also working the body and punishing Alhassan’s legs with some punishing kicks.
After checking a succession of Alhassan leg kicks, Lazzez then started to loosen up as he connected with a beautiful body shot to head kick combination. He even showed off his wrestling skills with a superbly-timed double-leg takedown in the final seconds of the round.
Lazzez continued to stand and bang with Alhassan through Rounds 2 and 3 but also mixed up his strikes with a couple of takedowns, though some unusually swift standups from the referee meant we didn’t get much chance to see him progress and show us his submission skills on the mat.
Remarkably, the fight went all the way to the scorecards as Lazzez picked up the unanimous decision victory. But despite not crowning his eye-catching debut with a finish, the Dubai-based Tunisian showed that the UFC has an exciting new talent on their hands.
